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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Concern about violence leads Ashland synagogues to use video systems ... Free fall risk assessment can reduce risk of life-altering accidents ... Earthquake hits 12 miles east of Eugene ... Concern about violence leads Ashland synagogues to use video systems ... Free fall risk assessment can reduce risk of life-altering accidents ... Earthquake hits 12 miles east of Eugene ... GUEST OPINION Guest Opinion: Why so anxious to tax marijuana? Comment By R.L. Tokareff DailyTidings.com By R.L. Tokareff Posted Feb. 7, 2015 at 12:01 AM By R.L. Tokareff Posted Feb. 7, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Social News What is up with the Jackson County Board of Commissioners' failure to understand the clearly written law that states “no county or city of this state shall impose any fee or tax … in connection with the purchase, sale, production, processing, transportation and delivery of marijuana items”? Are commissioners listening only to a small group of big-mouth conservative prohibitionists? Are they officials that represent all the people of Jackson County? Are they willing to subvert the vote of the people to stall, delay and derail in anyway they can a state law overwhelmingly approved by the voters, only to satisfy a small vocal minority? Actions speak louder than words. The actions of State Sen. Jackie Winters, R-Salem, who introduced SB 542, speak volumes about how the prohibitionists are willing to subvert the voting process. How is this SB 542 not the result of a small, vocal minority attempting to subvert the will of the majority? A tax on a medicine? A tax that was passed on  medical marijuana before Measure 91 was voted on by the people? Does “taxation without representation” ring any bells? This is not a tax that they or their supporters will ever pay, so it’s really easy for the conservatives prohibitionists to support. Remember, this is the same “it’s for the children” crowd who are so worried about cannabis and kids but are against taxing for education, libraries, child care, public transportation and shelters for the homeless. Are the commissioners wasting $100,000 on an election for a tax that is clearly not wanted and would be possibly illegal as shown by the last election? Not to mention the costly litigation that will surely follow. “Most likely, there will be a legal challenge at some point in time, but I don’t want to speak about that at this time,” Commisisoner Doug Breidenthal said (Mail Tribune, Sunday, Feb. 1) You bet he doesn’t want to speak about it. The cost of the election and the following litigation will probably exceed $250,000! Where is the fiscal responsibility? This reminds me of Sheriff Winters' folly of denying medical cannabis users concealed handgun licenses; that conservative prohibitionist move cost the county tens of thousands of dollars for nothing. This is a back-door attempt by the prohibitionists to change the election they lost. It is also an obvious attempt to drive up the price of cannabis with taxes to force people into the black market so that they, the prohibitionists, can say that legalization does not work. Is this what you voted for when you voted for Measure 91? If not call, mail or email your commissioners and let them know how you feel. What”s next? A special election to reconsider the GMO ban? Clearly a prohibitionist, Breidenthal, commented, “Since Colorado legalized recreational marijuana, the number of driving-while-intoxicated cases in Denver County has increased substantially.” (Mail Tribune, Sunday, Feb. 1) “Labor Day weekend there were a total of 157 DUIs — only one of which was marijuana-related ... the driver was stopped for turning improperly.” (Denver Westworld, Dec. 5, 2013) Perhaps he did not read the study published in October 2012 by the University of Oregon, Montana State University and the University of Colorado, which stated that after 17 states had legalized medical cannabis, “Within the first full year of legal (medical marijuana), the study reported, traffic fatalities in those states had decreased by as much as 11 percent.” With 20 percent of the generated revenue going to local law enforcement, please explain how this constitutes a “financial strain that the legalization of marijuana will place on local law enforcement” as stated in the Mail Tribune front page story, Sunday, Feb. 1. Who said this, the reporter or a public official? Is this an opinion, a quote, or a fact? Maybe a reporter of yours could make a phone call or walk across the hall and find out. In this country the will of the people’s vote is supposed to be sacrosanct. Does this seem to be the case in Jackson County? “The marijuana movement is a tsunami of intelligence moving across this country of ignorance, and it’s killing everything ignorant in its wake, and it’s not going to stop.” — American freedom fighter Tommy Chong. In Colorado and Washington the crime rates are down and revenue is up. I expect the same will happen in Oregon. R.L. Tokareff lives in Ashland. By R.L. Tokareff DailyTidings.com By R.L. Tokareff Posted Feb. 7, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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